13 - Glitter and cold

Hermes, on his end, had slept like a rock. A very happy, very warm rock, tightly taped to the back of his beloved boyfriend like a jetpack, in his rightful position as the resident big spoon.

It was nothing short of a miracle that Charon had managed to peel him off without actually waking him up - or maybe he had woken up, just he hadn't really bothered opening his eyes.

When he did, it was close to nine and a half, and he felt absolutely great. He raised from the bed, stretched a little, took a long, warm shower as he whistled a happy tune. As he got dressed (he had stolen- pardon, borrowed one of Charon's huge shirts, and was wearing a pair of comfortable indoor pants) he threw a glance to the bag he had taken away from work, and a mischevious grin stretched on his lips.
Well. Maybe that would get Charon to properly forgive him. He scooted outside of the bedroom and to the living room, humming still, with a grin on his lips and the will to cause trouble to his hard-working other half- only to feel his plans crumble as soon as he saw said other half. "Boss! Gods, you look awful", he exclaimed, before he could look for a less offensive way to say 'you look very sick'. He quickly walked up to him, sitting next to him and resting his hand over his forehead. "You know, usually when you feel like crap, look like crap and reach the temperature that could roughly cook an egg, it's a sign that you should be in bed", he scoffed, looking reproachingly at him. And narrowing his eyes at his pc.

Charon grunted, and sloppily signed something to Hermes, that looked like a protest and vague assurance that he was fine. Who got sick in Summer, anyway?
He tried to suppress a strong cough, that made a sicklish wheezing noise in his lungs. Yeah, the cigarette he tried to have ten minutes ago didn't help his case, and he did have quite of a fever. But he was a stubborn man, especially when it came to knowing his own limits.

Even his own employer turned up against him, for a message popped on his screen, with Hades' name and reading "Charon if you're sick just get the damned week off before you end up in the hospital again."

Hermes made a face when a cough that sounded much more like a wheeze made its way out of Charon's throat, and scoffed and rolled his eyes when he was hit with something that read on the lines of 'I'm fine'. "Oh, suuure, you're fiiine", he commented, sarcasm dripping from every word. "Seriously, Boss, I've seen people faking sickness in order not to work, but you have once again completely twisted my perception of human beings. You must be one of a kind." His eyes fell on the message that had just popped up on the screen of Charon's PC. "See? Even your Boss knows you should be taking some time o- wait, again?!" He was eyeing him with a mixture of fond disapproval and disbelief now, arms crossed on his chest. "Alright then, listen me up and listen me well: I'm not letting you jeopardize your health like that. Either you get that week off by yourself like a big boy, or I am going to do it on your behalf." He raised his chin in a challenging way. "What will it be?"

Charon huffed, and then sighed. If even Hades was making him look more reckless, then perhaps he should just give in and listen to Hermes.
"It did happen already. I haven't exactly built myself strong lungs over the years", he admitted a bit grumpily. He sighed, and eventually typed back to Hades that he'd be back as soon as he could, but that he could still be reached through his phone.
He eventually closed the laptop, coughing again, and turned his head to look at Hermes, almost pouting. He had made big plans for that day- he was supposed to work from home, and pamper his boyfriend. And now here he was, stupidly sick in the middle of Summer.

"I could have guessed that, with the amount of cigarettes you go through daily. Ever considered other options? Hypnos told me his brand new girlfriend vapes, maybe that could work out for you!" Hermes couldn't hold back a satisfied grin when Charon finally caved in and answered to Hades that he'd be taking some time off. He scoffed a little when he read the addendum about being still reachable through phone. "Not if I will be around to prevent that", he commented obnoxiously, reaching to grab Charon's now-closed laptop and swiftly put it out of his boyfriend's reach, positioning it on the ancient coffee table in front of the couch.
When he turned again to face Charon, he couldn't help but chuckle at the pout he was confronted with. "Aww, look at you", he cooed, grasping his boyfriend by his shoulders and puling him down into his chest. He guessed he wouldn't really be able to oppose any kind of resistance, seeing how sick he was. "Don't you worry about anything now. I'll take care of you." He pet his hair with a loving hand and he pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head. Then, he urged him back up. "C'mon you big lug, back to bed now. Chop chop!"

Charon huffed when Hermes suggested to him that he'd look for alternatives to smoking - it wasn't the first time his partner mentioned it to him. There had been some teasing about his morning breath, or the smell of cigarettes lingering on his clothes already. He had mentioned to Hermes that smoking just made him feel better, but... Maybe he was right. Maybe he should do something not to die like his father had.

Right now, the priority was however to get better quickly. He let out a smile when Hermes pulled him into an embrace, and wrapped his arms around him for as long as he could, before he was urged on his feet. He sighed, smiled one last time at Hermes, signed a quick 'thank you' and went to collapse into his bed, probably falling back asleep for an hour or so.

Hermes bit back a smile. "You're welcome", he signed back at Charon, sending him a kiss by blowing it from the top of his fingers. He silently made sure that his workaholic boyfriend was actually resting and not secretly messaging his Boss and colleagues about the stocks or whatever the hell else he was supposed to be working on, and passed the next couple of hours surfing the net and looking for a new, temporary job - applying to some offers here and there.

Towards noon, he got up and got his grubby hands all over Charon's precious kitchen to prepare some lunch. Contrary to popular belief, he was not half bad at it (he often offered to cook for the friends that were so nice as to host him, and they had always complimented him). Sure, he wasn't half good at it either, definitely not as much as Charon was, but hey. It's the thought that counts. He made up some soup for his boyfriend, along with some cut bread with cheese and a glass of water. He got everything on a trail and happily scuttled over the bedroom, knocking lightly before peeking in. "Heyy, sleeping beauty? Brought you something to eat", he greeted him with a grin.
Wondering if he'd still be asleep at all.

Charon had slept, alright. He had definitely slept for an hour or so. But then he had gotten a desperate text from one of his subordinates that was missing numbers for one of their presentations, and there had been a text from accounting...
Basically, when Hermes came in he froze in place, sitting up in his bed and with a personal laptop on his knees that he had connected to his work network.

He cautiously looked at Hermes, and held back a coughing fit, as if it would make the situation any better.
And here he had thought he might work unnoticed for an hour or two, in between naps.

Hermes had frozen right where he was standing, the trail with the hot soup still in his hands and his smile still plastered on his face. He blinked, taking in the scene in front of him for a second, before his eyes narrowed. Then, finally, he just sighed when his boyfriend started to wheeze with the effort of keeping the coughing all inside of him. "Really, Charon? Really?", he scoffed, walking up to the bed and placing the tray on his bedside table for the moment. He clicked his tongue in disapproval at his boyfriend, eyes still narrowed. "You mean that while I was in the other room, tearing myself apart with grief over your sickness - while I was being an upstanding significant other and making you some good food, you were working instead of resting?" He dramatically raised his hand and rested it over his own forehead. "No, no I'm not angry with you. I am just incredibly disappointed."

If Hermes' plan had been to make Charon die from coughing because he couldn't hold back a laugh, it was definitely working. He barely managed to set his computer down next to the bed, and kept on coughing a bit more before he finally managed to sign an apology. "You're right, I shouldn't have. I just had this subordinate who needed some help, that's all. I'm done now." He finally leaned back against his pillows, and then looked to the side, letting out a small, tired smile. "It smells great, but I should perhaps go to the living-room to eat, don't you think?"

Hermes grinned as Charon clearly struggled even more to contain his laughter in between coughing fits. Yep, it had partly been his plan, he had to admit it. He grinned at him, taking back the trail from the bedside table so that his boyfriend could put his PC there.
He was already planning to hide it away somewhere safe while Charon ate, of course.
"Alright, I'll believe you this once", he answered with a smirk. "And here I thought I was the irresponsible one of the duo. C'mon now, then. Let's go to the living room, so I can keep pampering you - and keep you from working your way to the hospital." He winked at him and waited for his boyfriend to join him on the way to the living room, where he'd lay the food over the table for Charon to eat.

Charon chuckled, held back a few coughs and finally got up from the bed, to walk towards the living-room. Once sat in the couch, he started to eat, and even complimented Hermes on the food.

Hermes, who received a text from an unknown number.
"Hello, Hermes - this is Nyx, Charon's mother. Sir Hades told me about my son's health. Pardon me from contacting you directly- I found your number in my sons' 'emergency contacts' from our workplace. Speaking of which, he has three laptops and one work phone I need you to de-activate as soon as you can. Please make sure he doesn't smoke while sick - he is quite restless."

Hermes visibly preened under Charon's compliments, and thanked him with a smug smile.

He raised a brow when he saw a message from an unregistered number pop up on his cellphone - but it wasn't so unusual. Dionysus alone broke his phone at least once every two months! He couldn't help but laugh, though, when it became clear that this was Charon's mother discreetly asking for him to make sure her son wouldn't work while being sick. "Hello, madame Nyx! So nice to hear from you! He has three then, huh. Damn, I've only confiscated two up til now. I'll be on the look for the third one, and for the phone too. Thank you for informing me!" He grinned. "Aye aye madam, don't worry. I'll be his shadow until he gets better!" He looked up at Charon, his grin growing. "Aw, Boss - you've got my number in your workplace's emergency contacts? Aw!"

Charon perked up, and blinked a few times while looking at Hermes before he squinted. "I do, but how do you know that? Oh, no." He sighed. "Don't tell me my mother messaged you." He let out a small smile, and kept on eating for a bit.

"I would suggest looking into his bedroom. When he gets sick he barely gets out of bed, so it must be within his reach. Good luck, Hermes- and please keep me informed on his well-being."

Hermes grinned. "Mmmaybe", he hummed, typing an answer to Nyx ("Will do! Don't worry ma'am, I'll keep in touch!"). He turned to look at Charon, and his grin took on a shade of mischief. He slowly, calmly got up from the couch, innocently crossing his arms behind his back - and he hummed as he waltzed away towards their shared bedroom.
Where he disappeared, for the next five minutes or so.
Clearly looking for the still hidden PC and the work cellphone.

Charon had gotten up after those five minutes, and comically coughed by the door of his bedroom when he spotted Hermes with his last laptop and his work phone.
"I see my own mother betrayed me. But you can't keep me in bed forever, you know that right? I'll get bored out of my mind as soon as you go back to work." He let out a small smile.
That was true, though. He'd feel sad and bored the moment Hermes would leave him alone.

Hermes looked quite victorious, his loot safely tucked under his arm and in his free hand. "Well, maybe you're right. I won't always be here to act as your own personal warden", he answered pointedly. "But I also don't want you to ruin your chances at healing up well because you simply cannot stop thinking about Mr. Dow Jones for more than two hours in a row." His gaze softened though, and he walked up to him. "Listen. I'm still unemployed, for now - how would you feel about me taking a week of respite? I'd be all yours and you won't be able to cheat on your resting program!" He grinned up at his boyfriend, winking at him. "We could snuggle on the bed, watch movies..."

Charon's expression softened. "That sounds like a plan. Hopefully I just got sick from too many temperature changes, and I won't get you sick in turn." He coughed a little, and then walked towards his bedroom balcony, taking a lighter and a cigarette out of his pockets.

"Oh, you won't - I might not look like it, but I have a crazy good immune system-" Hermes abruptly stopped talking when he saw Charon clearly planning to have a little smoke break. He quickly went after him and skillfully snatched both the cigarette and the lighter out of his boyfriend's hands. He then raised to his tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth. When he broke the kiss, he grinned up at him. "Nonono, not until you stop trying to cough your lungs out", he playfully chastized him, wagging his finger in front of him.

Charon stared back at Hermes, completely baffled by this gesture. He coughed a bit, and then let out a small smile. "Oh. That's how far our relationship has gotten, then? You get to try and force me to let go of bad habits?" he arched a brow, and put a hand on his chest a little dramatically. "In that case, I have something to ask of you."

Hermes rolled his eyes - even though he enjoyed Charon's own playfulness and purposeful dramaticness, so he was most definitely laughing in the meantime. "Yep! Yep, we are at that stage. And, well. You know how it is. Your mom gave me permission to bully you, so I'm not going to let that occasion slide - and one of us has to be the responsible one, and it's clear as day it's going to be me." He paused. "For the next week, at least. Then I'll get back doing stupid things while you affectionately roll your eyes at me." He winked. "But I'm listening!"

Charon smiled, and then looked at Hermes for a few seconds. He eventually walked into the room, and grabbed Hermes' bag, lifting it up to lay it on the bed. "I think we should officially put this away, and store your clothes into the dressing room with my stuff." Hermes already had his own set of keys - since he worked odd shifts, Charon had wanted to make sure he could get home anytime he wanted. But Hermes had never truly settled in with him, and he wanted to change that.

Hermes had curiously followed Charon back in the bedroom. He was a little slow to grasp exactly why his boyfriend was picking up the bag where he still kept his clothes stored.
But then, as Charon signed to him, his eyes widened.
It was true. He had been living in that apartment with him for months by now - months during which he hadn't thought about leaving a single time. Months during which Charon had never once asked him when he intended to leave. He was living with his boyfriend, and there was no plan for him to find another place to stay at, anytime soon.
Holy shit. "Holy shit", he let out, before laughing at his own words. He looked up at his boyfriend, beaming. "You know what? I really, really like how that sounds. I think I might just do that. Even though you're going to regret seeing my obnoxious, orange pillow-jacket stored next to your fancy coats", he joked.

Charon chuckled - although that made him also cough a bit - and then smiled fondly at Hermes. "You know what? I think I'll love to see that atrocious jacket next to my fancy coats. But what I'd love more would be to go and have some more made for you. And they can be as orange and atrocious as you like." He walked towards Hermes and closed his arms around him, for a soft embrace.

Hermes bit on his lower lip, looking kind of moved by the prospect of Charon being pleased about seeing their clothes hanging together.
The thought was just so... comforting, so reassuring and home-y that he couldn't help but hug him back, tight, burying his face on his chest. "You sappy, terrible man", he hummed with a grin plastered on his face. "I love you so much. But I can't let you buy me mega expensive jackets out of love - unless it's a special occasion, I guess", he added, looking up at him with a grin. "Special occasions only." He got up on his tip-toes again, to leave a gentle kiss on his chin.